Nazi Germany Flashcards
What were the four reasons that Germany needed a new government in 1918?
The Kaiser had too much control over what the ministers did.
The Kaiser held most of the power in Germany. Whereas the Reichstag advised him.
The Kaiser had ruled for a long time so a change of leadership was needed.
The Kaiser lost control of his country and the war, and his country was facing starvation and certain defeat of the war.
What was a Republic?
A country governed by an elected parliament.
What was a constitutional monarchy?
When the country is governed by a parliament, but contains a monarch with limited power.
Who was Friedrich Ebert?
A member of the Social Democrats. He was democratically elected in 1918.
What was the job of the President?
The President was elected every 7 years, controlled the Armed Forces, stayed out of the day-to-day running of the country and in an emergency he could make laws without going through the Reichstag.
Also appointed the chancellor.
What was the job of the Chancellor?
They were responsible for the day-to-day running of the country, chosen form the Reichstag by the President, like a Prime Minister.
Also needed more than half the support of the Reichstag.
What was the job of the Reichstag?
They voted on new laws, the members were elected every 4 years through a system called Proportional Representation. This gave small parties a chance to have a say in parliament.
Also, the members of the Reichstag were elected by the German people.
What was the job of the German people?
They elected the president and the members of the Reichstag, they had the right of free speech and all men and women over the age of 20 could vote.
What was Article 48?
It gave the President the right to make laws without going through the Reichstag in an emergency.
What were the strengths of the Weimar Republic?
Germans had the right to vote, Proportional Representation made sure that small parties had a place in parliament and they had a strong president.
What were the weaknesses of the Weimar Republic?
The Republic had enemies, they were never a strong government, small parties had barely any MPs and the President had too much power.
What was the ‘stab in the back’ theory?
When the German Government signed an armistice declaring the end of the war. Although, the German people and the German military were led to believe that they were winning the war by Kaiser. Then when the Kaiser left to go to Holland and the new German government came in, they signed an armistice without the military knowing. This left the German people baffled and with a lot of negativity towards the new government.
What was the Treaty of Versailles?
The main peace treaty signed after World War 1. It was signed on the 28th June 1919 in Versailles. This was exactly 5 years after Franz Ferdinand was assassinated.
Who created the Treaty of Versailles?
Lloyd George - The Prime Minister of Britain
President Wilson - President of the USA
President Clemenceau - President of France
How was France affected by World War 1?
They lost 1.5 million men, had a lot of jobs unfilled, the economy suffered and 23,000 factories were destroyed.
What kind of peace did France want?
Revenge, reparations and Germany to be stripped of wealth and Armed Forces.
How was Great Britain affected by World War 1?
They lost 750,000 men and they were hugely in debt to America. Although, their land had not been invaded.
How was the USA affected by World War 1?
They had not been badly affected at all. Their land had not been invaded and they gained money from European loans.
What kind of peace did Great Britain want?
They thought that Germany should be allowed to regain their strengths so that there wasn’t another war.
What kind of peace did the USA want?
They wanted a fair treaty that did not lead to another war. They also wanted freedom for people in German colonies.
What had the Germans hoped to come from the Treaty of Versailles?
The Germans hoped for a fair treaty where the allies promised to support their government instead of punish them and for President Wilson to be on their side because he had come up with 14 fair points for the treaty.
How was Germany’s land affected by World War 1?
Germany lost 13% of it’s land and 6 million people living there. They lost raw materials. Germany was split in two and German troops weren’t allowed in the Rhineland. Germany’s oversea colonies were also taken away.
How was Germany’s army affected by World War 1?
The German Army was reduced to 10,000, the Navy was cut to 15,000 sailors and just 6 battle ships and they were not allowed submarines, tanks or an air force.
How was Germany forced to take the blame for World War 1?
The ‘war guilt’ clause declared Germany was to take the blame for the war. This enabled allies to demand compensation from Germany for the damage they caused.
How much did Germany have to pay in reparations?
Germany had to pay most of their reparations to France and Belgium. At Versailles no sum was fixed. In 1921, the allies summed the total amount Germany had to pay was £6600 million.
Who were the Spartacists?
The Spartacists were a communist group set up by Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht. They didn’t trust the new government so they began a revolution that was unsuccessful. In January 1919, they protested throughout Germany. As they took over buildings they hoped people would join; instead the government ordered the army to stop it. The army was anti-communist therefore in the fighting over 100 workers were killed. The uprising was badly planned and this led to both leaders being murdered. Without the main leaders, the Spartacists were defeated.
What was the Kapp Putsch?
The Kapp Putsch took place in 1920. The Freikorps units, led by Wolfgang Kapp were disbanded. This was because the left-wing groups had been crushed. 12,000 Freikorps marched to Berlin, where the government was forced to flee and this led to Kapp being made leader of Germany. Kapp and the Freikorps couldn’t get much support. Workers went on strike and this made it impossible for Kapp to rule. After 4 days, Kapp fled Berlin and Ebert’s government returned.
What was the Munich Putsch?
The Munich Putsch took place in 1923. The Nazis had over 55,000 members and their own private army called the SA. Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Partybelieved democracy led to a weak government. They thought there should be one political party, with one leader. The Nazis wanted to make General Ludendorff the leader of Germany. Hitler and 600 SA went to Munich and burst into a meeting forcing Kahr to support their plan. The putsch was not properly planned. Kahr withdrew his support and the Nazis want to fight in a Munich military base. This led to Hitler being arrested. He was released after 9 months.
What is a communist?
People who believed the poor should achieve just as much as middle class people.
Who are the Freikorps?
Ex-German soldiers.
Who were the SA?
Stormtroopers. They were the gang used by Hitler to protect his meetings and break up the meetings of his opponents.
What was the Ruhr?
An Industrial German area.
What is a nationalist?
Someone who wanted Germany to be a powerful country in the world again.
What are five ways to gain members of your party?
Public speeches Hand-drawn posters Send letters Newspaper advertisements Tell the people what they want to hear Survey people on what they think would make a better country Bad-mouth other parties.
What was a socialist?
Someone who wanted equal share of money and rights.
Why did the French invade the Ruhr?
Because they refused to believe that the Germans couldn’t pay the reparations of the war. The French wanted the Germans to remember what they owed them. The Germans refused to collaborate with the French. This took place in 1923.
What were the 4 steps to hyperinflation?
1) The Germans stopped paying reparations.
2) The French invaded Germany.
3) Germany stopped producing materials.
4) Germany printed more money to pay the workers.
What is hyperinflation?
When the government print more money than what they need; so the value of money goes down and the price of goods goes up.
Who were 3 individuals that benefited from hyperinflation?
People in debt - they found it easier to pay off their debt.
Businessmen - they could pay back money they owed to build up their business.
Landowners - They owned land therefore they could grow crops and they wouldn’t lose any land.
Who were 3 individuals who suffered from hyperinflation?
People with savings - savings were worthless because the value of money fell drastically.
Workers - wage increases did not keep up with the rising prices.
Pensioners - In 1919, 6000 marks was a small fortunes. By 1923, it wouldn’t even be enough for a stamp.
What were the successes of the Munich Putsch?
They had 35,000 members, Hitler was a good public speaker, Hitler convinced the judges to release him from prison and the had Ludendorff’s support.
What were the failures of the Munich Putsch?
Hitler got arrested, Hitler relied on Ludendorff, when the Nazi’s reached the centre of Berlin they were unprepared to fight. Hitler forced Kahr to support him, but then let him go and Kahr then reported Hitler to the government.
How did Gustav Stresemann help Germany out of hyperinflation?
Stresemann suggested a new currency called the Rentemark. The new currency was accepted and inflation was brought under control. However, people had lost their savings and were not compensated. The German people felt cheated and blamed the Weimar Republic.
How did Gustav Stresemann help Germany with the French occupation of the Ruhr?
Stresemann called off passive resistance which created serious economic problems. The French left the Ruhr. Right Wing extremists beleive Stresemann ‘gave in’ to the French.
What were the improvements under Gustav Stresemann?
Dawes Plan
Locarno Pact
Economic and Political Stability
What was Dawes Plan?
In 1924, Charles Dawes planned to get Weimar Germany out of hyperinflation. The first agreement was that the Ruhr become fully controlled by the Germans. The second agreement was the reparations payments were to be restructured to the German economy. The third agreement was that Germany’s national bank, the Reichsbank, should restructured and monitored by allies.
What was the Locarno Pact?
The Treaty of Locarno was signed in 1925. This allowed Germany to be a part of the League of Nations. However, Hitler tore up the treaty in 1936 after he sent the German army into the Rhineland. The Pact of Locarno was a series of agreements which allowed peace in Western Europe. It was signed in Locarno, Switzerland.
How did Stresemann help Germany gain economic and political stability?
Stresemann got Germany out of hyperinflation by coming up with a completely new currency he called the ‘Rentenmark’. Although people lost their life savings, money got it’s worth back. Stresemann called off passive resistance, giving the French nothing to fight for, meaning they had to leave. He joined the Social Democrats in 1923, by becoming chancellor. Stresemann also made sure that the Germans paid less reparations every year to make the payments easier.
What was the Wall Street Crash?
In October 1929, share prices began to fall on the Wall Street Stock Exchange. People rushed to sell their shares before it’s value was lost. On the 13th October 1929, other wise known as ‘Black Thursday’, 13 million shares were sold. Shares worth $20,000 in the morning were worth $1000 by night. Within a week, investors lost $4000 million.
How did the Wall Street Crash spread to Germany?
USA recalled Germany’s loans. Germany was left with no money. International trade decreased rapidly because Germany had no funds. This led to factories closing and workers being sacked. German farmers could not trade goods.
What were the political effects of the Wall Street Crash?
The Weimar Government were proven to be to weak to deal with a crisis. The Nazis won 2.6% of votes in 1928; in 1932 they won 37.3% of the votes. The Communist party won 10% of the votes in 1928; in 1932 they won 15% of the votes.
What were the economic effects of the Wall Street Crash?
Businessmen saw their businesses close. People had less money to spend on goods so demand fell, leading to profits falling. The government cut unemployment benefit to save money. Many people lost their life savings because the banks collapsed. For the unemployed, the early 1930s was a time of extreme poverty. Taxes went up, so people could afford to buy less goods.
What were the social effects of the Wall Street Crash?
40% of all factory workers were unemployed by 1932. In 1933, over half of all Germans between the ages of 26 and 30 were unemployed. Farmers were forced to sell their land or live in poverty.
How and why were business men affected by the Wall Street Crash?
They saw their businesses close. They were affected because people had less goods, so profits fell.
How and why were factory workers affected by the Wall Street Crash?
Businesses closed so unemployment rose. They were affected because government cut unemployment benefit which led to extreme poverty.
How and why were farm workers affected by the Wall Street Crash?
They weren’t doing well in the 1920s. They were affected because prices had been falling since 1925. In the 1930s farmers got further into debt which led to them selling their land.
How and why were young people affected by the Wall Street Crash?
They could not find work. They were affected because in 1933, over half of the Germans between the ages of 16 and 30 were unemployed.
How and why were middle class people affected by the Wall Street Crash?
They lost their businesses, savings and investments. They were affected because taxes rose, business shut down and loans were recalled.
Who were the Ubermensch?
Aryan people. Super humans with blonde hair and blue eyes.
Who were the Untermensch?
Sub-humans. For example: Jews, Disabled, Homosexual, Gypsies, Slaves, Black People
Why did the Germans vote for the Nazis?
People were poor and desperate.
People were looking for a strong leader.
People were looking for a strong party.
People wanted someone to blame for their problems.
People were fed up of other political parties.
What were the Nazis offering the people?
Food, work, a better country, better army, better government, better economy.
When was Von Papen appointed Chancellor?
April 1932.
When was Von Schleicher appointed Chancellor?
November 1932.
How did Hitler become chancellor in 1933?
Hitler was strong public speaker and was very charismatic. He connected personally with his audience by doing things such as shaking hands, signing autographs, posing for pictures and kissing babies. He also promised to solve Germany’s economic crisis, providing a strong leadership, ignoring the Treaty of Versailles, building up the army and making Germany a strong country again.
How did Von Schleicher become Chancellor in 1932?
He persuaded Hindenburg to remove Von Papen and give the position to him.
What was the deal that Hitler made with Von Papen?
To form a new government with Hitler as chancellor and Von Papen as Vice-Chancellor. Wealthy businessmen followed this plan because they thought it would bring Von Papen to power, not Hitler.
What happened in January 1933?
The Nazis have just 33% of the vote .
Hitler can be sacked by the President.
Only 3 out of the 12 members of the government are Nazis.
What happened in February 1933?
Reichstag building in Berlin destroyed in a fire.
4,000 Communists arrested because Nazis thought they were trying to take over Germany.
Nazis banned meetings for other political parties.
Nazis arrested anyone who opposed them.
What happened in March 1933?
Nazis used police and SA to put pressure on opponents.
Nazis had 44% of the vote.
Hitler wanted an Enabling Act. (It was passed by 444 votes to 94)
Germany was now a dictatorship.
Communist party was banned from voting.
What happened in May 1933?
The German Labour Front was controlled by the Nazis.
Trade Union Officers were taken over and Union leaders were arrested.
All trade unions were merged into one organisation.
What happened in July 1933?
New law saying that no one could form a new political party.
Social Democratic party and Communist party were banned.
Only one party left in Germany; no one to challenge the Nazis.
What happened in June 1934?
SA had 3 million members and wanted to take control of the army.
Leader of the SA, Ernst Rohm, Hitler saw as a potential rival.
Army was the only organisation that could overthrow Hitler.
‘Night of the Long Knives’: SA leaders taken from their beds and shot dead. This sent a warning to Germany about how ruthless Hitler was.
Rohm refused to commit suicide so was shot dead.
